“Don’t touch them! Don’t hurt them!” Bella screamed.
I froze in terror for a long moment. Then I grabbed Peter and pulled him backward till we bumped against a shelf.
Screem marched straight ahead.
I held my breath until my chest hurt. My knees felt like they were about to collapse. I leaned back against the bookshelf to keep from falling.
“No — please!” Bella cried, hands pressed to her face.
But Screem didn’t have his purple eyes on us. He was gazing straight ahead at the hidden compartment holding the five masks.
Bella gasped. “No! Stay away!” She moved quickly. She dove to the shelf and tried to block it with her body.
Screem pointed a finger at her. I saw a big green ring on his finger.
I gasped as a beam of green light shot out from the ring. The light swept over the bookshelf.
It began to turn. In seconds, the five masks were revealed.
Screem advanced. Bella backed away in fright. He reached inside and snatched the five masks one by one.
He squeezed them together, cradling them under his arm.
“No! No! No!” Bella cried. She ran at Screem, lowered her shoulder — and tried to tackle him.
But he ducked away. Bella slammed onto the floor and slid on her stomach. Her long hair flew up behind her. She let out a frustrated cry.
Screem hid the masks under his robe. He gazed down at Bella as she climbed slowly to her feet. And a strange smile crossed his bearded face.
“And so it begins again,” he said softly. His voice was high and whistly, breathy like an old man’s voice.
“Screem, listen to me —” Bella pleaded.
“You cannot stop me. It is written in the book. The hunt begins again,” Screem said. “But this time when it is all over, the masks — and all their power — will be mine.”
“No —” Bella protested.
“When Halloween ends, your control of the masks will end, too,” Screem told Bella.
His purple robe swept around him as he turned and started for the opening near the fallen bookshelf.
Bella took a few steps after him but stopped. I could see her chin trembling, see the fear on her pale face.
At the shelf, Screem spun around. He waved a long finger at Peter and me. “Keep away. I’m warning you,” he growled.
I stared at the green ring on his finger. It set off a beam of green light, like laser light.
“Don’t try to help her,” he cried. “I know who you are.”
The library door suddenly rose up in front of him. With another swirl of his robe, he disappeared out the door.
His words rang in my ears.
I know who you are…. I know who you are….
Each time I heard them, another chill shook my body.
Bella came striding over to us. She suddenly looked older. She had deep lines under her dark eyes. Her lips were dry and cracked.
“Now you have no choice,” she murmured.
I squinted at her. “Excuse me?”
“You have no choice,” she repeated. “You must help me. Screem knows who you are. That means you are in terrible danger.”
Okay. Okay. I’m a very patient person. I can put up with a lot of nonsense.
I’m a calm person. I can deal with difficult people.
I have to put up with Peter, after all.
I think I’m pretty good in an emergency.
But every person has a limit. And I’d just reached mine. I’d had enough.
I took a deep breath and held it. I waited for the chills to stop rolling down my back.
Then I grabbed Peter by the shoulder and gave him a push. “Let’s go!” I cried, motioning to the door with my head.
“Stop!” Bella ordered.
“We’re out of here!” I said. “You and that little wizard Screem are both crazy.”
“Yeah. Happy Halloween!” Peter cried.
And we both took off. We ran right past her. Slipping and sliding on the old books on the floor, we leaped over the fallen bookshelf. And darted through the library doorway.
I heard Bella shouting, but I didn’t turn back.
I tugged open the front door of the house, and Peter and I rocketed outside.
The cold night air shocked my hot face. Swirling winds sent my hair flying up.
Our shoes slapped the hard ground as we ran side by side down Bella’s front lawn. We practically burst through the tall hedges at the street and kept running.
I glanced back. I expected Bella to be chasing after us.
But the street was empty. Nothing moved. No people in view. No cars.
It must be late, I realized. No trick-or-treaters on the street.
Mom and Dad will be furious.
And if we tell them what happened to us … they’ll say we made it all up.
Peter and I ran down the middle of the street. I ran so hard, I had a sharp pain in my side. But I ignored it and kept running.
We reached the corner of our block. Peter nearly tripped over his trick-or-treat bag.
How could he still be carrying it?
There we were in the scariest moment of our lives. And all he could think of was holding on to his Halloween candy? Amazing.
We ran past the Willers’ house. Then the small empty field with the baseball diamond marked in the dirt. Then the Kleins’ house.
My legs were aching. The pain in my side was intense.
Just a few more steps …
And then Peter and I both stopped running. And we both let out screams at the same time.
“NOOOO.”
“Oh, NOOOO.”
My throat tightened in horror. I struggled to breathe.
I gazed up to the top of the low slope where our house had stood.
It was gone.
Our house was gone.
Peter and I were staring at an empty lot.